Loyalty Oath

by Edmund Hughes

  Mira still seemed eager to tease both him and Ryoko. She made an appeal to his lust with her mouth and lips, though not against the sensitive skin of his tool. Instead, she kissed his inner thigh, barely six inches away from giving him head. She sucked a little with each kiss, making suggestive wet noises and very nearly driving Jack into sex berserker mode with the sensation.

  He took Ryoko by the shoulders and gently shifted her position toward the center of the bed. If he tried to hold out any longer, he was liable to explode. Ryoko’s face flushed with relief and anticipation as he moved to place himself over her.

  He gave her a deep kiss as his shaft began to search for the right angle. She lifted her butt up slightly, and Jack found her entrance on his next probing prod. She was wet, and she was ready for him. And she all but cried out as he entered her.

  Jack started moving slowly, not wanting to overwhelm Ryoko, if he could help it. He had figured that as soon as he actually started having real sex with either of the women, he’d have to shift the nature of his focus if he wanted to last long enough to please them both. Instead, he found he had the opposite problem.

  The pressure was real. He could feel Mira watching him from where she lay on the other side of the bed, touching herself as she waited. Jack knew he would have to perform for Ryoko and leave her satisfied, and then do the same for Mira.

  It was almost daunting enough to dampen his arousal. But then Ryoko let out a tiny, desperate little squeal, and he noticed how her breasts bounced with such perfect, springy movements, and he felt his horniness propelling him back toward the other side of the spectrum.

  He was gentle and tender with her, but sex was still sex. Ryoko was blushing and biting her lip, and every few seconds, she’d glance over at Mira and notice her watching. Being watched was apparently one of her reluctant turn-ons, if her breathing and noises were anything to judge by. Jack felt a wicked idea sneak into his head and acted on it before he could second-guess himself.

  He pressed himself forward, still thrusting, and brought his mouth close to Ryoko’s neck. He planted a kiss there, then let his breath tickle her ear.

  “She’s watching us, you know,” he whispered.

  “Oh…” shuddered Ryoko.

  “And when I’m done with you, it’ll be her turn,” whispered Jack. “Then you’ll be the one watching.”

  “Oh, Jack!” cried Ryoko. “Don’t… don’t say that!”

  Her words were an objection, but her tone of voice was lewd and excited. Jack gripped her by the buttocks and gave her a few punishing, bed-bouncing thrusts. Ryoko’s breathing took on a new dimension as it accelerated, and then she let out a high-pitched, wavering cry of ecstasy. She bit his shoulder, and Jack could feel her shivering as she came.

  “That was interesting,” said Mira. “What did you whisper to her at the end?”

  Jack gave Ryoko a deep, loving kiss, and let his forehead rest against hers for a second before pulling back. He wanted her to know that he loved her. He needed her to know it, given how dirty and passionate the next few minutes were going to be between him and Mira.

  “It was for her ears only,” said Jack. “I’ll never—”

  He was distracted from the end of his sentence by Mira’s tongue. She’d moved in closer to him, and as soon as he’d pulled back from Ryoko, she’d begun licking him. It was such an open and shameless act, and she held his gaze as she did it, eyes full of confidence as she cleaned him off. It felt incredible and sent a burst of throbbing need through him.

  Ryoko let out an annoyed huff. Mira pressed a kiss to the tip of his shaft and turned to look at her.

  “This is sex, Ryoko,” she said. “It’s about sensation and pleasure. Dominance and power. It’s a game designed to be played to the edge of its limits. Wouldn’t you agree, dearest Jack?”

  She looked up at him and batted her eyes with exaggerated innocence.

  “You have that wicked smile on your face again,” said Jack. “The one that comes out when you’re about to get into trouble.”

  “And?” Mira rose up onto her hips on the bed, her breasts swaying as she shifted. “Are you going to do something about it?”

  Jack looped an arm around her and gave her a rough, hungry kiss. Mira moaned and writhed against him, trying to twist him so that he’d be underneath, letting her ride him. He wasn’t about to, not after her earlier statement.

  He all but pinned her on the bed and pulled her thighs apart. Mira was an active partner and clearly in the mood to play. She ran a hand through his hair and shifted her hips as he tried to spear forward, laughing as she effectively blocked him from his intended target.

  Jack let out a low growl. He kissed her deeply and groped one of her breasts as he pulled her thighs apart a second time and thrust forward, hard. Mira seemed to stifle her reaction as he pushed his full length deep, but he still noticed the small, pleasured details.

  It was so different from sex with Ryoko. It was more passionate, more active, and just all around, well, more. Mira bucked her hips to meet his movements. She vied for control, trying to catch him off guard and roll them both over. It was raw, wrestling sex, the type of aggressive encounter that triggered something primal inside of him.

  In addition to that, Ryoko was now watching them. Jack didn’t have to look her way to know that much. He could hear her breathing, along with tiny, accidental squeals. She was watching them, and pleasuring herself to what must have been an extremely confusing scene for her emotions.

  It was confusing for Jack, too. Sex with Mira was incredible and intense. She was drawing him in with practiced movements, but she didn’t even need to. Her body was soft, with the kinds of assets that made her loved by men and hated by other women. Sex with Mira might not have been objectively better than sex with Ryoko, but at the moment, it was pushing him nearer to his limit.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” whispered Mira. “Go ahead. Ryoko had her turn. You can let me win the game of getting you off.”

  Jack smiled at her. “We’re just getting started.”

  He took a risk, and let himself draw upon his vampiric strength. He wanted to keep as much of his blood essence in reserve as he could, but using a small amount seemed worth it, if he could give Mira a taste of sweet, sexual punishment.

  She made a small, offended noise as he pinned both of her wrists with one hand, and then a louder, deeper noise as he really began to let her have it. He pumped into her harder and faster than any human could have, with more force than a normal woman could have comfortably taken. Mira starting blinking fast, and her lip quivered as she threw her head back and gave in to the sensation.

  “Fuck!” she cried. “My… sweet Jack! You’re going to—make me—”

  She never got the last word out. Her body tensed up as though it had been triggered by an electric current. Jack sucked on one of her nipples and let a hand caress her neck in a very dominant fashion.

  He took a breath and grinned to himself. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to outdo that performance. He was so pleased with himself that he almost forgot about his own happy ending as he rolled over onto his back.

  Ryoko was there in an instant, her eyes alight with mischief and possessiveness as she brought her lips down on his shaft. She sucked with slow, cute movements, bobbing her head as far down as it would go, and then a little further. Jack heard her squeal with discomfort as she tried a trick on him that he’d only seen porn stars do, and she had to give up after a second.

  “I think we’re both in the mood to share now,” said Mira. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ryoko?”

  Mira planted a kiss on the lower part of Jack’s shaft. Ryoko hesitated for a moment before pulling her mouth back and giving the other woman a chance to show her skills. Mira’s mouth engulfed Jack’s shaft, but Ryoko kept kissing and licking wherever she could find purchase.

  The pleasure of it was unreal. Jack ran his hands through both of their hair, staring down at their beautiful faces and hungry, wet mouths.
It felt so good, and he finally let himself give into it. Ryoko and Mira were both kissing his shaft from either side now, their lips occasionally grazing each other’s in kisses that created a wonderful, wet seal.

  “I…” Jack’s heart was racing, and he could barely breathe. “I’m going to—”

  It happened before he could get the last word out, and it happened all over Mira and Ryoko, covering their lips and faces with hot, sticky seed. It was gratuitous, and it was awesome. Jack had a dopey smile on his face as the pleasure washed over him.

  “I think we finally wore him out,” said Mira.

  “Looks like it,” said Ryoko. “Did you enjoy that, sir?”

  She sounded really proud of herself. Jack tried to force out a quip about the value of teamwork and cooperation but only managed a very satisfied chuckle.

  CHAPTER 26

  “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  Jack woke up to the sound of a familiar, feminine voice. Ryoko and Mira had slept in his bed, and both of them lay curled against him on either side, naked and covered only by a thin sheet.

  What stole his attention was the fact that Katie stood in the doorway to his bedroom. He blinked a couple of times, wondering if his subconscious had decided to one-up reality and craft a dream that could outdo the experience of the previous night, but Katie was really there.

  She was wearing yoga pants and a grey sweatshirt, and her hair was a ponytail. From the chastising frown on her face and the way her arms were neatly folded, he could practically sense the annoyance in her body language.

  “Katie,” he said, still half asleep. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here on business,” said Katie. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I? Oh, and please don’t tell me that this isn’t what it looks like.”

  “This is exactly what it looks like,” he said, unable to keep a small, contented smile from creeping onto his expression. “Ryoko saved me from dying of thirst in the ocean, and she got ahold of Mira, and, well… it’s been a while since we’ve all seen each other.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. “You are a total man-whore.”

  “There’s no need to shame me for enjoying myself,” said Jack. “I get the feeling you didn’t come here just to give me a wake-up call?”

  Katie shook her head. “No, I didn’t. Get dressed and meet me downstairs. That goes for the two of you, as well. I know you aren’t asleep.”

  “Ms. White,” said Ryoko, in a slightly guilty voice. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Yes,” purred Mira. “A shame you didn’t arrive eight hours earlier. It would have made things far more interesting.”

  Katie scowled, and she closed the door with a heavy thud as she left the room. Jack sighed and climbed out of bed. He’d been hoping for an encore of the previous night to start off the morning, but apparently it just wasn’t meant to be.

  Mira and Ryoko went downstairs ahead of him, and he took a couple of minutes to wash his face and brush his teeth. Mira, Ryoko, and Katie were all waiting in the lounge when he caught up with them. Mira was wearing the same jeans she’d had on the night before, with a sleeveless black halter top in place of her blouse. Ryoko had on dark grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt with a small cat graphic on the front.

  “Alright,” said Jack, addressing Katie. “Do you mind explaining what this is about? If the Order of Chaldea guessed that I’d be here, I would have assumed they’d attack by surprise rather than sending you to give away their approach.”

  “There was an attack in Arc City,” said Katie. “It happened the morning after you escaped from Margaret’s ship. The Order of Chaldea sent several agents near Arc City to investigate the storage facility you told us about. We never heard back from them, and it seems to have triggered a reaction from Mezolak, judging by what happened.”

  She pulled out her phone and brought up a livestream of a local news station. The sound was muted, but there was no need for it. Jack saw bodies scattered across a street, destroyed buildings, and burn marks scorched into concrete. The damage wasn’t consistent with any type of bomb, too precise and intense. It was the aftermath of a supernatural attack, one that had claimed several dozen lives.

  “The government’s official narrative is that it’s a terrorist attack and a previously unknown group of extremist cult members are to blame,” said Katie.

  “That’s insane,” said Jack. “How could anyone buy that after seeing this?”

  “It’s what the Order does,” said Katie, with a touch of bitterness in her voice. “They sent more agents to follow up in Arc City. The corpses and incarnates that you mentioned were nowhere to be found, so the agents have just been doing damage control, using dream weaving spells on anyone close enough to the scene to have an inkling of what really happened.”

  “You should have listened to me,” said Jack.

  “I did listen to you,” said Katie. “This is Margaret’s fuck-up. It’s why she decided to come looking for you again. She’s accepted that Mezolak is the greater threat. She wants to talk to you and get more information on how to handle this.”

  “Talk to me,” muttered Jack. “You expect me to buy that after what happened on the train?”

  “She isn’t stupid,” said Katie. “She’ll be reasonable this time. There are too many lives on the line, and she knows that you couldn’t have been involved with the attack in Arc City, since you were still on the run when it happened.”

  Jack took a couple of seconds to consider. It made sense, if he was willing to trust Margaret. He wouldn’t be able to face Mezolak or even Reese directly with the loyalty oath still affecting his free will. But the Order could, and even if they just served as a distraction to Mezolak, it would buy him the time he needed to find Xepher and hopefully break free from the demon’s control.

  “Mira and Ryoko are coming with me to meet with Margaret,” he said. “I’m not about to place myself in her power.”

  “Fair enough,” said Katie. “She’s currently meeting with the mayor in his mansion. I’ll go on ahead to let her know that you’ve decided to be cooperative.”

  She held his gaze for a moment and then gave a slow nod. Jack waited until he heard the front door close to let out the sigh he’d been holding in.

  “I don’t like this,” he said. “Margaret is a lot of things, but straightforward is not one of them. She always uses subterfuge to get what she wants.”

  “Do you think what she wants is you?” asked Mira. “I don’t often find myself agreeing with Peter’s apprentice, but it seems like the Order has its focus elsewhere at the moment. How does the saying go, again? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”

  “The question is whether she’ll recognize me as a potential enemy to Mezolak,” said Jack, “or just as an extension of his power.”

  Ryoko made breakfast for them, though it only consisted of frozen waffles, coffee, and tea. The car remained in the mansion’s garage and was still gassed up, though Jack opted not to drive into town after giving it some thought. He wasn’t sure if all of the roads were passable, and it would also telegraph their approach.

  It was a gorgeous day outside, and he felt like he’d made the right choice as he walked down the slope with Mira and Ryoko. He’d missed Lestaron Island. Part of him wished that he could shrug off his situation and responsibilities and just stay, help rebuild, and live a simple life with the people he loved.

  The town wasn’t as abandoned as it had initially seemed. True, it did appear as though a significant amount of the population had moved on or perhaps were still waiting for the right time to return. There were a few people out on the street downtown, and some of them waved to Jack, recognizing him as he walked by.

  The area around the mayor’s mansion was basically a park now, with an overgrown lawn and various wildflowers. It was eerily quiet as Jack and the girls made their way toward the front steps. Sheriff Jessie and Deputy Bruce were both standing guard outside, both of them in their tan uniforms. Jessie smiled
and tipped her hat to him as he approached.

  “Jack Masterson,” she said. “It’s been too long.”

  Jack grinned at her and extended his hand to shake hers. She surprised him with a hug, instead. She had a nice smell, and he had to suck in a quick, calming breath to avoid losing himself in the sweet, nuanced scent. Like a garden in the summer, with flowers in bloom.

  “I’ve been caught up in matters elsewhere,” said Jack. “I’m glad to be back, though. And I’m glad to see that there are still people here, sticking it out.”

  “Few enough of us, that’s for sure,” said Sheriff Jessie. “The government engaged in relief efforts for the first month or so after the storm, but it mainly consisted of transporting the older and younger folks off to the mainland.”

  “That would be the lion’s share of the population,” said Jack.

  “Exactly.” Jessie gave an exasperated shrug. “There’s barely enough people left to handle a fraction of the rebuilding. Or the repopulating, for that matter.”

  She shot a glance back and forth between Jack, Mira, and Ryoko. He felt his cheeks getting a little warm for some reason.

  “That was a joke,” said Jessie. “Though it won’t be for much longer, if things keep going this way.”

  “My heart is still on Lestaron Island,” said Jack. “If there turns out to be a way for me to stay, I will. I’ve just been caught up in some… strange business these past few months.”

  “Seems it’s always strange business of one kind or another with you,” said Jessie. “I don’t fault you for it, though. Take care of yourself, Jack.”

  She set another, familiar hand on his shoulder. Jack could feel Mira and Ryoko’s curious expressions without needing to turn around to see them. He gave Jessie’s hand a quick squeeze, and then headed past her and a stoic Bruce into the mayor’s mansion.